The Walmart Project: My First-Ever Microgreen Grow Adventure

Hey there, fellow plant lovers! Welcome to the very first chapter of what I’m calling "The Walmart Project"—my official dive into growing microgreens for the first time ever! I’m a total newbie, but I couldn’t wait to get started, so I jumped in with this setup while waiting for my online-ordered supplies to arrive. Picture this: a used croissant tray from Sam’s Club packed with pea, radish, and sunflower seeds, four (yes, four!) moisture and temperature gauges, three fans, a grow light, and even a houseplant cheering me on from the sidelines. Is it overkill? Maybe, but I was too excited to learn and couldn’t wait for my proper supplies to show up! Let’s dive into how I set this up, what I’m testing, and how my first batch is coming along on day 6.

Why Microgreens? Why Walmart?

I’ve been curious about microgreens for a while—they’re quick to grow, packed with nutrients, and perfect for adding a fresh twist to meals. When I spotted a pack of seeds at Walmart with labels for peas, radish, and sunflowers, I knew it was the perfect way to start learning. The idea of growing three different microgreens in one tray felt like a mini challenge: could I, a complete beginner, get these seeds to sprout and thrive? I decided to call this "The Walmart Project" because it all started with that one impulsive purchase—and now I’m hooked on seeing where this green adventure takes me!

The Setup: A Beginner’s Eagerness in Action

I’ll admit, I might have gone a bit overboard with my setup, but that’s only because I was so eager to start growing while my online-ordered supplies (like proper 10 x 20 trays) were still on their way. I couldn’t wait to learn, so I made do with what I had. Here’s what I put together:

• The Tray: I used a used croissant tray from Sam’s Club, which isn’t a standard 10 x 20 tray but worked well enough for my first try. I divided it into three sections for peas, radish, and sunflowers, and it came with a clear lid, which I’m using as a bottom tray for bottom watering.

• The Medium: I didn’t have coco coir or a proper soil mix on hand, so I used peat moss, which I had lying around. I hydrated the peat moss and spread it about 1 inch deep in the top tray  smoothing it out to create an even surface for the seeds, I also had made some holes in the top tray for the water, then I put it in the bottom drawer of my hutch.

• Seeding:

  • Peas: On the left side, I scattered about 1 Walmart pack of Snap Sugar Daddy pea seeds (a fraction of the 180 grams I’d use for a full tray, since I’m splitting the space). They looked like little white marbles after soaking for 8 hours starting on April 6, 2025, at 12 PM.

  • Sunflowers: In the middle, I used  1 Walmart pack of Mammoth Russian sunflower seeds, also soaked for 8 hours on April 6, aiming for a dense but not overcrowded layer. Their pointy shapes made the tray look like a tiny forest waiting to grow.

  • Radish: On the right, I sprinkled  1 Walmart pack of Cherry Belle radish seeds. These tiny black seeds were already showing little white sprouts in the photo, eager to grow!

• The Gear:

  • Four Moisture and Temperature Gauges: I might have gone a little overboard here! I placed one in each corner of the tray to monitor conditions. The photo shows one reading 49% humidity and 65°F—pretty good for germination, I think!

  • Three Fans: I set up three small clip-on fans to ensure good air circulation. I’ve read that microgreens can get moldy if the air is too still, so I’m playing it safe.

  • Grow Light: A sleek grow light is positioned above the tray to provide consistent light once the seeds sprout. I started with a dark phase but have since turned the lights on as the sprouts emerged.

  • Houseplant for Encouragement.

  • Notepad: On the left, you can see my notepad where I’m jotting down observations, like seeding dates and watering schedules. I’m trying to be scientific about this!

• Watering: I’m bottom-watering by adding a little water to the tray to keep the peat moss moist, and I’m also spraying the top with water if I notice it looking dry. This dual approach is helping me keep the moisture levels just right.

The Walmart Project Setup: My croissant tray from Sam’s Club with peas, sunflowers, and radish seeds, complete with four gauges, three fans, a grow light, and a houseplant for encouragement.

What I’m Testing

This first batch is all about testing the waters (literally!). I’m growing three types of microgreens to see:

• Can I Even Grow Them? As a first-timer, I just want to see if I can get these seeds to sprout and grow into healthy microgreens. The radish is already off to a great start, which gives me hope!

• Flavor and Yield: I’m curious about how the peas, radish, and sunflowers will taste. Will the peas be sweet, the radish spicy, and the sunflowers nutty? I can’t wait to find out.

• Setup Efficiency: With all this gear, I’m testing what works and what’s overkill. Do I really need four gauges? Probably not, but it’s fun to track everything for now.

Lessons Learned (So Far)

Even at this early stage, I’ve already picked up a few lessons:

• Less Might Be More: Four gauges are a bit excessive—I’ll probably scale back to one or two next time. But for now, they’re helping me learn what conditions my microgreens like.

• Fans Are Key: The fans are keeping the air moving, and I haven’t seen any signs of mold yet. I think three might be overkill, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

• Patience Is Everything: The radish seeds are sprouting fast, but the peas and sunflowers are taking their time. I’m learning to trust the process and not overthink it.

Day 5 Update

I’m on day 5 (April 10, 2025), and things are starting to take shape! I’ve been keeping detailed notes to track my progress. On April 8, my first check showed the peas were swollen but not yet sprouted, the sunflowers hadn’t changed, and the radish had almost all seeds sprouted—off to a strong start! By April 9, the peas had 60% sprouted, the sunflowers were at 85%, and the radish hit an impressive 98% germination rate. I noticed the radish looked a bit sad, so I turned the grow lights on for 12 hours at max power and watered with spray bottles to perk them up. My gauges showed the top drawer at 38% moisture and 76.4°F, and the bottom drawer (where the tray is) at 40% moisture and 73.9°F.

On April 10, I kept the lights on for 12 hours starting at 7 AM, and the gauges read 52% moisture and 67.6°F. The radish still looked a bit sad but had grown slightly bigger, reaching 1 inch tall by 2 PM (51% moisture, 73.2°F across all four gauges—much more consistent now thanks to the fans!). The sunflowers were making progress, with most having their main stem—about 50% had strong stems, while others looked a bit weaker. The peas were similar to the sunflowers, with slow progress and a few sprouts, I noticed possible mold. I added 1 cup of water for bottom-watering only at 11:00 PM. The peas looked pretty dry, so I gave them a light spray with the spray bottle to help them along.

Day 6 Update

It’s now day 6 (April 11, 2025), and I checked the tray at 8 AM. The gauges showed 54% moisture and 68°F—nice and stable. The radish is thriving, now standing 1.5 to 2 inches tall, a solid 0.5-inch growth since yesterday, with that 98% germination rate holding strong. They’re looking vibrant and ready to add some spicy flair to my meals soon. The sunflowers are showing more promise, with about 10% reaching 0.5 inches tall—still a bit uneven, but I’m hopeful they’ll catch up. The peas, unfortunately, are still moving slowly with no significant change, just a few tiny sprouts poking through. I’m staying patient, though! I added 6 ounces of water for bottom-watering and gave the tray a light mist on top to keep things moist. I’ve set the grow lights to low power for 12 hours today to avoid stressing the plants while they continue to grow. So far, no major mold issues, and I’m loving watching this tray come to life! I’ll keep updating as the grow progresses, so check back for more soon.

Day 7 Update

So I ended up getting about half an oz or 13g of Radish from the Walmart seeds, I would say thats way better than expected, I even added them to my dinner, which was delicious.

Day 10 Update

Today the I harvested the Sunflower but I will not be consuming it, the peas next to them look like they have mold on them so unfortunately I will not be doing a taste test but I was able to get 5 grams of them which is about 40% of what was planted, and they do look healthy.

Sunflowers starting to fall over.

As you can see I have one pea that did well and another trying, that's like a 98% failure rate and even the one is inedible due to mold.

2 Peas

What’s Next?

Well I would say the Walmart project was somewhat successful, we grew some awesome Radish that tasted amazing and the Sunflowers did decent as well, although I do wish I could of tasted them, maybe next time, and finally the peas or should I say pea, they were a flop, I learned a ton though and had a lot of fun with this but I think this wraps up this project.

Thank you for Joining Me on This Green Journey!

Have you ever grown microgreens? Got any tips for a first-timer, especially for getting those peas to sprout faster? Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear your stories or advice! And if you’re as excited about growing your own food as I am, subscribe to my blog for the next update on The Walmart Project. Let’s see if I can turn these tiny seeds into a big win!

Happy growing,

Micheal Giles